SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State men's soccer team continues its preparation for the start of the 2026 season with a pair of exhibitions this week, traveling to preseason No. 9-ranked Stanford on Wednesday (Aug. 12) for a 4 p.m. kick-off before coming home to host Menlo College on Saturday (Aug. 15) in a 5 p.m. start.

THIS WEEK…
EXHIBITION MATCH #2
WHAT: Sacramento State (2-12-4, 1-6-2 Big West in 2025) at #9 Stanford (14-4-2, 5-2-1 ACC in 2025)
WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026
WHERE: Stanford, Calif.
TIME: 4 PM
STADIUM: Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium
WATCH: No Live Stream Available
LIVE STATS: No Live Stats Available

EXHIBITION MATCH #3
WHAT: Menlo College (11-4-2, 5-3-2 PacWest in 2025) at Sacramento State (2-12-4, 1-6-2 Big West in 2025)
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
TIME: 5 PM
STADIUM: Hornet Soccer Field
WATCH: No Live Stream Available
LIVE STATS: No Live Stats Available

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAINS!
• Seniors Zac Giles and Nick Strangio have been named captains for the 2026 season

HORNETS AT A GLANCE
• Sacramento State is coming off a 2025 campaign that saw the Hornets finish 2-12-14 overall and 1-6-2 in Big West Conference play
• The Hornets return 14 letter winners, but just three starters off last season's roster while welcoming 10 new faces -- five of those transfers
• This year's roster of 10 newcomers matches last year's list of new faces
• 11 of the team's 13 goals scored return for 2026, led by Big West All-Freshman Team selection Allbranly Gue, who led the team in scoring with three goals and two assists for seven total points in his collegiate debut season
• Seniors Zac Giles and Nick Strangio also found the back of the net twice
• In net, senior Lucas Bost split time with the departed Andres Rosales in 2025, posting a 2.00 goals against average and 36 saves in nine matches (eight starts)

SCOUTING STANFORD
• The Cardinal are coming off a 2025 season that saw them finish 14-4-2 overall and a 5-2-1 mark in the ACC that placed them second in the league standings behind only Virginia (5-0-3)
• Stanford is ranked No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll
• After falling in the second round of the ACC Tournament to SMU, the Cardinal still earned a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament and eventually reached the third round following a 1-0 win over Kansas City and a 1-0 loss at the hands of eventual national champion Washington
• Stanford had five players finish with double-digit points in 2025, but return only one of those for 2026 in the form of leading scorer Trevor Islam, who had a team-high six goals and assisted on three others for 15 points
• Of their 37 goals scored last season, only 11 of those return for 2026
• Senior goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly is the incumbent in net after playing all but 13 minutes last season, posting a 0.86 goals against average and 42 saves (.712 save percentage) in 20 appearances to go with seven shutouts

SCOUTING MENLO COLLEGE
• The Oaks finished the 2025 season with an 11-4-2 overall record and a 5-3-2 mark in PacWest Conference play to finish sixth in the league standings
• Menlo College enters its inaugural season in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in 2026 following two years in the PacWest
• Having lost their top four scorers from a season ago, senior defender Roy Rosenberg is the Oaks' leading returning scorer after scoring a pair of goals and assisting on four others for eight points
• Sophomore midfielder Giuseppe Sigala also finished with eight points, assisting on a team-high six goals to go with one of his own
• There will be a new face in net with the departure of starter Martin Fiala (17 starts) as junior Jaxon Tonley (22 minutes) is the only returner at that position for Menlo
• He is joined by three newcomers in junior transfer D'Angel Manzano, sophomore Derek Rash, and freshman Vebjorn Madshus

NEW MAN IN CHARGE
• Sacramento State men's soccer alum and long-time program assistant Matt McDougall was named the Interim Head Coach of the Hornets on July 17 following the announcement that long-time head coach Michael Linenberger would retire prior to the start of the season
• McDougall has been a mainstay on the Sacramento State sidelines for more than two decades, first as a student-athlete (2002-05), then as an assistant (2006-13), assistant head coach (2014-15), and associate head coach (2016-25)
• Linenberger had spent 38 years on the sidelines with the Hornets -- 36 of those as head coach beginning with the 1989 season which made him the longest-tenured head coach (of any sport) in school history
• He was also one of only four to hold their position for more than 30 years: Kim Hughes (women's gymnastics, 34 years); Debby Colberg (women's volleyball, 32 years); and John Smith (baseball, 32 years)
• At the time of his retirement, Linenberger's 36 years as head coach ranked sixth in the nation among active head coaches and was one of only four coaches to spend every season at one school among the top 10 longest-tenured head coaches

BENCH BOSSES
• Joining McDougall on the sidelines is assistant coach Hector "Keko" Grajeda, who is entering his second year on staff and his first in a full-time capacity
• Northern California native Erik Centeno returns to his roots as the program's second assistant after playing one season at Pacific before being drafted by Atlanta United FC with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft
• Centeno spent the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with Atlanta United 2 -- the parent club's side in the USL Championship -- making his professional debut on March 12, 2022, against Louisville City
• He then signed with the USL Championship side Birmingham Legion for one season

NEW-LOOK BIG WEST
• Now officially competing as a full-fledged member of the Big West Conference after playing as an affiliate member of the league since entering the conference in 2012, this year's Big West lineup for the Hornets will look a little different
• With only three soccer playing members on the men's side in the new-look Pac-12 Conference, the Big West entered into a scheduling agreement designed to strengthen and sustain Division I men's soccer opportunities across the region
• As part of the partnership, league newcomer California Baptist, along with Cal Poly, UC Riverside, and UC San Diego will compete as affiliate members of the Pac-12 alongside Oregon State, San Diego State, and Gonzaga
• The Big West now features the Hornets, newcomer Utah Valley, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara
• Sacramento State faces each of its Big West rivals once along with Pac-12 crossover games against Gonzaga (Oct. 7), UC San Diego (Oct. 14), and Oregon State (Oct. 21)
• The crossover games do not count toward the league standings with the top four schools qualifying for the Big West Championship at the end of the year

COMING SOON
• With a trio of friendlies behind them, the Hornets officially kick-off the 2026 campaign with a pair of matches at home, welcoming Causeway rival UC Davis on Aug. 20 for their regular season opener before Grand Canyon pays a visit on Aug. 23
• Both matches are scheduled for a 5 p.m. kick-off at Hornet Soccer Field and will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform